CILAS' labs, or laboratories, are places of experimentation. They are the evolution of the community service component of CILAS' yearlong study programme. Community service promoted experiential learning in addition to the intellectual and applied learning practised during coursework and the capstone project. As of this year we are bringing things home by extending community service to run throughout the year and across five labs. The labs are a space for project-based learning aiming at bridging what we know and what we don't know yet. The nature of experiential learning breaks the dichotomy between ignorance and knowledge, where learning sometimes happens through failure and not success, and the borders between in-class learning and out of class learning are actively faded.

the translation lab

translation is a fundamental human activity that occurs between languages, cultures, and forms of expression. Without translation, even the most erudite readers would have limited acquaintance with other cultures. CILAS translation lab invites anyone interested in exploring the multiple aspects of translation in a welcoming and instructive environment by approaching its full complexity as art and craft. Enrolled students andalumni interested in translating texts related to their studies and interests are encouraged to join this lab. The purpose of the lab will be to acquaint participants with the recurring questions, problems, and pleasures of the activity of translation. The primary focus of the workshop is to produce manuscripts ready for publication. If of a sufficient quality, the resulting translations will be published on CILAS website.

the space lab is concerned with the environment surrounding us in the neighbourhood of Darb El Labbana in which we are more than grateful to be in. Our shared space will be to all of our foot and finger prints and share serve as a serene Pigeon Tower in the heart of bustling Cairo. Our lab time will be divided into two equally fun and explorative areas:

1. Co-create and manage CILAS as a space : together we will play with the space, identify and attend to its needs and make sure it contributes positively to our shared learning experience.

2. Work with our bodies: we will try and sense the urban fabric by following park’s lines; remaking ourselves, in re-inventing the city. We will explore how different urban fabrics shape our body movements and postures; extend our bodies and explore new possibilities through a series of workshops.

the research lab

the research lab is committed to helping students develop their research skills and conducting academic research. The lab will be working on three areas to accomplish this goal:

1. A series of sessions introducing qualitative and quantitative research methods, and academic writing skills. Sessions will be facilitated by experienced researchers and are scheduled bi-weekly. The goal is to familiarise participants with different forms of knowing to produce research papers.

2. As CILAS is launching its fourth year, it has accumulated both experience and social capital in the realm of the academia. Building on this fact, the research lab will launch its “Research Hub” which will serve as a platform for both Egyptian and foreign researchers. The hub will support researchers offering them a space to work in and pairs them with CILASians to assist them in their research.

3. The lab also assumes responsibility to identify potential research supervisors for students who which to pursue their own research project.

this lab we will experiment with and critically question the relationship expression, documentation, and representation. Participants in the lab can choose to:

1. Work on a course project: this track focuses on individual experimentation with hands-on expression, in which students experiment with different modes of presenting their work. The track will host four weekly workshop on four forms of expression: visual, audio, audio-visual, and writing

2. CILAS online presence: this track is a collaborative experiment to tell the story of CILAS online as it happens. Participants of the track will work on already existing platforms, such as the CILAS Facebook page, website, blog, and Youtube channel; or launch a podcast series, for example.

This lab researches and experiments emerging pedagogical practices, and is concerned with the theory and practice of education. Students enrolled in the lab work together to co-design and co-host an introductory course to the liberal arts for students from the StARs (St. Andrew's Refugee Service) community. The lab employs theory and practice simultaneously, where theories on educational and organizational practices are not just researched but also tested, and sometimes are brought to life through the experiment itself.

Students depend on the CILAS core curriculum's structure and material and translate it into a ten week course that employs the same basic methodology of DBL (more on DBL here). The course is a chance for shifting roles between a student and a teacher intentionally, experiencing mutual discovery from a different end. The meanings of the two positions (student and teacher) are put into question all through out. This experiment also involves a translation of ideas from all members involved. This fluid translation questions whether ideas are abided to a certain language or methodology. It provides new ways of learning and understanding. It's an attempt to work within our differences and challenges rather than in spite of them.